System and a machine-readable medium for processing an on-line payment without authenticating the user

ABSTRACT

A easy authentication or payment is made by creating an account associated with a particular web browser or device that accesses an on-line page. Payments are made, such as for full-access viewing of an article or viewing content without visible ads, by selecting a payment button on the on-line page. Selection can be with a specific swiping motion or device motion previously defined for the user. Once selected, the payment is made without the user having to authorize or authenticate. The motion can be used independently to authorize or authenticate the user through the device.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to and claims priority to U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 61/229,668, filed Jul. 29, 2009, and U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 61/229,661 filed on Jul. 29, 2009.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to on-line financialtransactions and more particularly to making payments with seamless userauthentication.

2. Related Art

In on-line financial transactions, customers search for and purchaseproducts and services through electronic communications with on-linemerchants over electronic networks, such as the Internet. During thecourse of these transactions, customers may provide payment in variousways including, for example, credit cards, electronic fund transfers,and other payment techniques offered by on-line payment providers.

However, on-line payments typically require the user to log into anaccount or provide some form of authentication before the payment isprocessed. For example, the user may need to enter an identifier, suchas a username or email, and/or a password or PIN. Even after login, theuser may need to confirm a payment, such as clicking or selecting abutton or icon. This can be tedious, especially with large numbers ofpayments, where the payment amount is not large.

SUMMARY

Methods and systems of the present disclosure provide a “wallet” or“purse” that is associated with a particular machine, device, or webbrowser, such as Internet Explorer, where the wallet can be used to makepayments for goods or services without the user having to go throughseveral steps to authenticate the payment. In one embodiment, the usercreates and pre-funds an account associated with the wallet, through apayment provider, such as PayPal, Inc. of San Jose, Calif. The amountfunded can be a small amount, such as $5, determined by the user or bythe payment provider. The funding can be through an account of the userwith the payment provider or an outside funding source, such as a bankaccount or credit card. The user may have multiple wallet-accounts, onefor each different machine, device, or browser. Each account isassociated with a machine, device, or browser, such as by the usercreating the account through the particular machine, device, or browser.The payment provider communicates with the machine, device, or browser,such that when the user logs into the machine, device, or browser, anicon, button, or other indicator of the “wallet” or “purse” appears. Inthis way, the funds are associated to a particular machine-browsercombination (or other such combinations) and thus provides againstfraudulent use of the account since the fraudulent party would have totake possession of the machine to “authenticate.”

After logging in to the machine, the user, when using the specificdevice, machine, or browser, can select the icon to make a purchase. Theuser may indicate the amount of purchase or the purchase amount may beautomatically indicated when an item or service is selected. The amountis deducted from the user's specialized account, and payment is made toa merchant, host, or developer. Thus, the user is able to purchaseservices/items on web sites by leveraging the machine-browser toauthenticate with the payment provider. Because the wallet is associatedwith the machine, device or browser, the machine, device, or browser hasits own stored value. This makes minor purchases much easier for theuser.

In another embodiment, a unique motion of a mouse, pointer, or devicethat is associated with a user and device enables the user to beauthenticated if the motion matches what is expected. For example, auser may “register” a motion with a system, such as a payment provider.When the user wishes to access the system and/or device, the userperforms the motion. The system compares the motion with a stored motionand determines whether the user is the registered user. If so, access isgranted. This may also be used to enhance the seamless authenticationembodiment above. Other ways to enhance security may includeflash-stored objects, browser-based cookies, and hardware/software“fingerprints” (e.g., unique code of the motherboard).

With “authentication” associated with the device or browser and/orseamless authentication using a defined motion, the user is providedwith the ability to be authenticated without formal authentication (suchas entering a user name and/or password). Both methods, either alone orin combination, thus enable a seamless or non-formal user authenticationthat still provides security for the user. The security is desirable forthe user for many reasons, including the fact that funds that aredebited and credited are real funds so that any fraudulent payments maygo to many different accounts/merchants and will result in real cashlosses for the user. This in contrast with virtual currency, whichtypically is only usable or has value at a particular merchant site.

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will bemore readily apparent from the detailed description of the embodimentsset forth below taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing steps to make a seamless authenticationpayment according to one embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing steps to make and confirm a payment forenhancing security of the method in FIG. 1 according to one embodiment;

FIG. 3 shows various illustrative and non-exhaustive examples of motionsor swipes used to initiate a payment according to one embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a system used for facilitating ano-authentication payment according to one embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a system that can be usedto implement one or more components of the system in FIG. 4;

FIGS. 6A-6D show partial screen shots showing various images presentedto the user in a seamless authentication payment, according to oneembodiment; and

FIGS. 7A-7C show one example of utilizing a seamless authenticationpayment to pay for a service according to one embodiment.

Exemplary embodiments and their advantages are best understood byreferring to the detailed description that follows. It should beappreciated that like reference numerals are used to identify likeelements illustrated in one or more of the figures, wherein showingstherein are for purposes of illustrating exemplary embodiments and notfor purposes of limiting the same.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a flowchart 100 showing one embodiment of the presentdisclosure, which enables users to make on-line payments for goods orservices without user authentication. At step 102, a customer, consumer,or user first logs into an on-line site on the Internet, such as througha personal computer (PC), a laptop, or a mobile device (e.g., a smartphone). The login process may include the user entering a user name andpassword onto a computer and opening an Internet browser associated withthe computer, unlocking a mobile device with a user name, password,and/or PIN and opening an Internet browser associated with the device,or other known log in methods. The customer can choose to pre-fund theaccount or select a post-paid account where the owed balance isautomatically deducted at a set schedule. The customer then navigates toa desired site and selects or accesses one or more items or services forpurchase at step 104. Examples of items may include digital goods, suchas virtual cards, virtual greetings, virtual products, gameenhancements, and other items of relatively low cost. Examples ofservices may include viewing an article or content without ads for acertain period of time, viewing a pay-per-view article, access torestricted sites and/or content, and other services of relatively lowcost. Selecting or accessing a desired item or service may includeclicking on or selecting a link or icon associated with the item orservice, which may then indicate the price, or simply accessing ornavigating to a desired content, which may then give the user differentviewing options related to the content.

Once the user determines the item or service for purchase, the user maymake the payment using conventional methods, such as placing theitem/service in a cart and going through a check-out process, includingentering payment information and authorizing payment. This can becumbersome and time-consuming. However, if the user has a specializedaccount with a payment provider that is associated with the Internetbrowser or device used to access the Internet, the user may pay for theitem or service quickly and easily without authorization. First, though,the user must have this specialized account set up, which is determinedat step 106. This specialized account may be referred herein to as a“wallet,” a “penny jar,” or “coin purse.”

In one embodiment, the user can determine if a wallet has been createdor set up by seeing if an icon or button appears on the on-line site orother indicator, such as upon access or login of the site. If the wallethas not been created or set up with a payment provider, such as PayPal,Inc. of San Jose, Calif., the user creates the wallet at step 108.Creating the wallet can be done in many different ways, as long as thewallet or account is associated with a particular user device orInternet/web browser. In one example, the user logs onto the paymentprovider site and either creates or accesses the user's account from theuser's device. The user then creates a wallet account, such as selectingfrom a drop-down menu, clicking on a link, or selecting an icon. Theuser may then be asked to enter a device identifier, or the paymentprovider may simply necessary information from the device and/orInternet browser. The wallet may then be funded through the paymentprovider site from any acceptable funding source, such as the user'sbank account, an account with the payment provider, or a user creditcard. The user may specify an amount to be funded, such as $5 or otherrelatively small amount, or the funding amount may be pre-set by thepayment provider at a relatively small amount. Once created, the walletassociated with a particular web browser, such as Windows InternetExplorer, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Google Chrome, and/or Opera, ordevice, such as the user's desktop computer, laptop, and/or mobile smartphone. The unique account may also be created through a hardware and/orsoftware characteristics of the user device, alone or in combinationwith the specific device or browser. Note that the user may havemultiple wallets, each associated with a particular browser or device.

Once a wallet is created, a button or icon is added to the user'sbrowser page, such as in a toolbar, which appears when the user accessesa site through the specific browser or through the user's device. Forexample, Microsoft may add a wallet icon or button as part of thetoolbar for its Internet Explorer. Other indicators of the wallet mayalso be suitable. Along with the icon or button, an amount remaining inthe wallet may also be displayed. Thus, each time the wallet is used tomake a payment, the amount is updated to reflect a current balance.

After a wallet is created, a determination is made at step 110 whetherthere are sufficient funds in the wallet to make the selected purchase.Because the current balance is readily visible by the user, the user caneasily determine if there are sufficient funds. In another embodiment,the merchant, content provider, payment provider, or other party maymake this determination, based on the cost of the selected item orservice and the remaining balance in the user's wallet account. If thereare insufficient funds, the user funds the wallet at step 112 if theuser wishes to proceed with the purchase.

Funding the wallet may be performed in various ways. In one example, theuser clicks on a “Tools” button on the tool bar of the web browser. Themenu in “Tools” includes a “Pennies,” “Wallet,” or other name thatidentifies the wallet. Once selected, a screen may be displayed withinformation about the wallet, current balance, prior purchases with thewallet, previously selected items/services not yet paid for, and abutton to add funds. To add funds, the user may click or select the “AddFunds” button, which may then provide the user with various options foradding funds. This may include the user's bank account, a credit card,or a separate account with the payment provider. Depending on thefunding source selected, the user may then enter the requestedinformation, such as account information, user name, password, billingaddress, or any combination thereof. The user may also select the amountto add, which may be capped at an amount set by the payment provider.

Instead of selecting from a tool bar, the user may also fund the walletaccount using a drop-down menu from the wallet icon or button. Forexample, an arrow may be selected to display the drop-down menu, whichmay then provide the user different options, including adding funds tothe account. Conventional ways of adding funds may then be used, such asdescribed above. In another example of funding the wallet, the user maylog into the user's payment provider account, select the wallet account,and add funds through the payment provider site. Again, once the desiredwallet account is selected, funds can be added by any suitable methodfrom different funding sources. In another embodiment, the wallet may beset up so that pre-funding is not required or just an initial pre-fundis required. In these cases, the account may be post-paid, with paymenttriggered by different events, such as maximum amount reached, a timeperiod reached, a combination thereof, or any other desired trigger.

Once there are sufficient funds in the wallet account to make thedesired payment, the user makes the payment for the selected item orservice at step 114. There may be numerous ways for the user to make thepayment, without authentication. In one embodiment, the user simplyclicks or taps on the wallet button to make the payment. In anotherembodiment, the user slides the mouse or a finger across the button tomake the payment. These “one-act” methods are easy for the user toquickly make a payment. Once the user performs this affirmative actionto make the payment, payment is transferred from the user's walletaccount to the appropriate party. The current balance may be updated onthe page, and the user can either view the paid-for content or usewhatever item or service the user just purchased.

Because the wallet is only funded with a relatively small amount, e.g.,$5, fraudulent or unauthorized payment is not a major concern. Forexample, if the user's device was stolen or otherwise used by anunauthorized user, the unauthorized user may still make payments fromthe user's device using the wallet account because no authentication isrequired, other than logging into the device or browser if needed.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a method 200 of making a more securepayment according to another embodiment. Instead of simply selecting thewallet payment button, e.g., clicking, tapping, sliding, method 200requires the user to establish a pattern of selecting the wallet paymentbutton. At step 202, the user selects the wallet payment button using auser-specific motion. Examples of suitable motions across the buttoninclude, but are not limited to, an up and down motion, a down and upmotion, a circular motion, a zig-zag motion, a serpentine motion, and acheck mark motion. In one embodiment, the direction, start and stoppoints, time between swipes, acceleration of the motion, and/or speed ofthe motion are also defined, although simply the shape of the motion maybe sufficient in some cases. FIG. 3 shows just some of many examples ofsuitable motions and shapes. The user-defined motion may also bediscontinuous, such as a series of clicks or taps on the wallet paymentbutton, with different numbers of clicks or taps and/or differentintervals between the clicks or taps.

Once the user selects the wallet using a particular motion, adetermination is made, at step 204, whether a motion has previously beendefined for the device, user, or web browser. In other words, a motionhad to have been already defined before a determination can be made asto whether the user motion in step 202 matches what is expected. If nomotion has been defined, the motion is defined at step 206. This may beaccomplished in various ways. For example, the motion used at step 202may be recorded or otherwise stored as the user-defined motion, or theuser may be asked to repeat the motion to confirm. If the motion is thesame, within tolerances, the motion is recorded or stored. If the motionis not the same, within tolerances, the user may be asked to make themotion again or to start over with a new motion. Thus, the user motioncan be defined without leaving the desired page, i.e., it is done on thesame page or site as where the user is attempting to make the payment.

For more security, the motion may be defined by requiring the user todefine the motion in the payment provider site of the wallet. In thissituation, the user logs into the payment provider site, such asentering in a user name and password/PIN, and selecting the desiredwallet account. The user then selects an option for creating or defininga user specific motion. The user may be asked to perform the motion oneor more times over a sample wallet payment button to define the usermotion. Requiring the user to perform the motion more than once enablesthe system to record variations of the user, such that a more accuratedetermination can be made when the user performs the motion for payment.In general, the more movements required to define the motion, the moreprecise or accurate the system can determine when a user performs theproper motion. In one embodiment, the motion definition is on-goingrather than a one-time process. For example, each time the user properlyperforms the motion for payment, the system factors that motion with thestored motion(s) to change the defined motion as needed. This allows anyvariations from the user, such as due to arthritis, unstable device whenperforming the motion (such as if the user makes such payments on themove, such as on a plane, in a car, walking, etc.), and any otherreasons that may be due the user's personal changes or changes in theuser environment.

In addition to motions made on or over a screen, either by a mouse,point, or finger, motions of the device may also be used. For example,there are mobile devices that can detect motions of the device, such asthe iPhone by Apple and the Wii by Nintendo. A user may shake or movethe device with a certain speed, acceleration, motion, and/or rotation.These attributes may be recorded, as with the screen motion, and used asa way to authenticate or further authenticate a user. With devicemotions, there may be greater tolerances of acceptable motions, due inpart to wider variations of the motion and the precision such motionscan be detected by the device and compared by the system.

Once a motion is defined, a determination can be made, at step 208, asto whether the user motion at step 202 matches the defined motionassociated with the device, user, or web browser. A match or acceptancemay be determined by comparing the user motion with what has beendefined. The comparison may be done with standard pattern/motioncomparison algorithms, which may factor in tolerated variances. If themotion matches or is acceptable, the payment is processed at step 210,such as by debiting the amount from the user's wallet account andtransferring the amount to the merchant, browser, or other third partyaccount. If there is no match, as determined at step 208, the user maybe asked to perform the motion again. There may be a limit as to howmany times a user may re-try the motion before the session is terminatedor the request is finally denied. In some embodiments, the user may beasked for authentication, such as user name and password/PIN, if themotion is not being accepted. This situation may arise if the user hasforgotten the motion or is not performing it with the required amount ofaccuracy. If the user is authenticated using other means, the user maybe given an option of adding the motion just attempted (but failed) oradding a new motion to a list of accepted motions or to replace anypre-existing or pre-defined motions.

In another embodiment, authentication through motion can be implementedas a separate form of authentication/payment and does not need to bepart of the wallet described above. Used alone, the user may beauthenticated or payment authorized using a unique motion that the userdefines or chooses. Thus, there is no need for the motion authenticationto be part of a wallet, small payment account, or device/browseridentification.

FIG. 4 shows one embodiment of a block diagram of a system 400configured to perform transactions discussed above over a network 402.As shown in FIG. 4, system 400 includes at least one customer device404, one or more on-line servers 406, and at least one payment providerserver 408 in communication over network 402. Network 402, in oneembodiment, may be implemented as a single network or a combination ofmultiple networks. For example, in various embodiments, network 402 mayinclude the Internet and/or one or more intranets, landline networks,wireless networks, or a wireless telecommunications network (e.g.,cellular phone network) adapted to communicate with other communicationnetworks, such as the Internet.

Customer device 404 may be implemented using any appropriate combinationof hardware and/or software configured for wired and/or wirelesscommunication over network 402. For example, customer device 404 may beimplemented as a personal computer, mobile device such as a cell orsmart phone, or a laptop of a customer or user 410 in communication withnetwork 402. Customer device 404 may include one or more browserapplications 412 which may be used, for example, to provide a userinterface to permit user 410 to browse information available overnetwork 402. For example, browser application 412 may be implemented asa web browser, such as Windows Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, AppleSafari, Google Chrome, and/or Opera, to view information available overthe Internet.

Customer device 404 may include one or more toolbar applications 414,which may be used, for example, to provide client-side processing forperforming tasks in response to operations selected by user 410. Forexample, toolbar application 414 may display a graphical user interface(GUI) in connection with browser application 412. Customer device 404may also include a plug-in module 416 for facilitating financialtransactions over network 402. In one implementation, plug-in module 416comprises a software program, such as a graphical user interface (GUI),executable by a processor that is configured to interface andcommunicate with the one or more servers 406 and payment provider server408 via network 402. User 410 is able to access on-line sites viaservers 406 to view and select items/content for purchase, and user 410is able to purchase selected items/content by communicating with thepayment provider server 408 via a network browser, such as a webbrowser.

Customer device 404 may include other applications 418 as may be desiredin particular embodiments to provide additional features available touser 410. For example, such other applications 418 may include securityapplications for implementing customer-side security features,programmatic customer applications for interfacing with appropriateapplication programming interfaces (APIs) over network 402 or variousother types of generally known programs and/or applications.

Customer device 404 may include one or more user identifiers 420, whichmay be implemented, for example, as operating system registry entries,cookies associated with browser application 412, identifiers associatedwith hardware of customer device 404, or various other appropriateidentifiers. User identifier 420 may include attributes related to theuser, such as personal information (e.g., a user name, password,photograph image, biometric id, address, phone number, etc.) and bankinginformation (e.g., banking institution, credit card issuer, user accountnumbers, security information, etc.). In various implementations, useridentifier 420 may be passed with a user purchase request to paymentprovider server 408, and user identifier 420 may be used by paymentprovider server 408 to associate user 410 with a particular user accountmaintained by payment provider server 408.

The one or more servers 406 may be maintained, for example, by one ormore merchants or content providers offering various items, such asproducts, services, and/or content, in exchange for financial payment tobe received from users, such as user 410, over network 402. In thisregard, each of the one or more servers 406 may include a database 422for identifying available products, services, and/or content, which maybe made available to customer device 404 for viewing and/or purchase byuser 410. Accordingly, each of servers 406 may include amarketplace/content application 424, which may be configured to provideinformation over network 402 to browser application 412 of customerdevice 404. For example, user 410 may interact with marketplace/contentapplication 424 through browser application 412 over network 402 tosearch and view various items, content and/or services identified indatabase 422.

Server 406 may include a checkout application 426, which may beconfigured to facilitate online purchase transactions by user 410 ofproducts, content, and/or services identified by marketplace application424. In this regard, checkout application 426 may be configured toaccept payment information from user 410 and/or from payment providerserver 408 over network 402, such as described above. Server 406 mayalso include one or more identifiers 428, which may be included as partof the one or more items, services, or content made available forpurchase so that particular items, services, or content are associatedwith particular parties. Identifier 428 may include attributes relatedto the party, such as business and banking information. In variousimplementations, identifier 428 may be passed with a user purchaserequest to payment provider server 408 when user 410 selects an item,service, or content for purchase, and retailer identifier 428 may beused by payment provider server 408 to associate a particular item,service, or content purchased with a particular retailer accountmaintained by payment provider server 408. Checkout application 426 mayalso include pattern and motion recognition software to detect andcompare a user motion with a defined motion stored with server 406 orwith payment provider server 408.

Parties having a related server 406 may need to establish an accountwith payment provider server 408 so that payment server provider 408 isable to process transactions having items, services, or content offeredfor purchase by the parties. When establishing an account, the party mayneed to provide business information, such as name, address, phonenumber, etc., and financial information, such as banking information,merchant account information, credit card information, paymentprocessing information, etc. Server 406 may be associated with aparticular link (e.g., a link, such as a URL (Uniform Resource Locator)to an IP (Internet Protocol) address). In this regard, payment providerserver 408 may optionally redirect browser application 412 to anappropriate web page and/or retailer site of server 406 to facilitatepurchase of a corresponding item and/or service available from retailerserver 406.

Payment provider server 408 may be maintained, for example, by an onlinepayment service provider, which may provide payment processing foronline transactions on behalf of user 410 to an operator of server 406.Payment provider server 408 may include one or more payment applications430, which may be configured to interact with customer device 404 and/oreach of servers 406 over network 402 to facilitate the purchase ofitems, products and/or services by user 410 from server 406. In oneexample, payment provider server 408 is provided by PayPal, Inc.

Payment provider server 408 may be configured to maintain a plurality ofuser and retailer/third party accounts 432, each of which may includeaccount information 434 associated with individual users, including user410, and the one or more on-line retailers/content providers associatedwith servers 406, For example, account information 434 may includeprivate financial information of user 410 and third parties, such as oneor more account numbers, passwords, credit card information, bankinginformation, or other types of financial information, which may be usedto facilitate online transactions between user 410 of the customerdevice 404 and one or more retailers/content providers associated withservers 406. As such, payment application 430 may be configured tointeract with the one or more servers 406 on behalf of user 410 during atransaction with checkout application 426 without requiring user 410 toprovide account information 434 directly to server 406. Payment providerserver 408 may also include a content processing application 436, whichmay select content from a content database 438 to be provided to user402. Content processing application 436 may provide appropriaterules-based or heuristics-based facilities for selecting appropriatecontent for user 402 based on, for example, user identifier 420, useraccount 432, user account information 434, information received fromserver 406, or other characteristics. Content processing application 436may also include pattern and motion recognition software to detect andcompare a user motion with a defined motion stored with server 406 orwith payment provider server 408

Payment provider server 408, through payment application 430,user/retailer accounts 432, content processing application 436, andcontent database 438, may provide the no-authentication payment with orwithout a user-defined motion, as described above. For example, paymentprovider server 408, based on communication with server 406 and customerdevice 404, detects a transaction from a specific user device or webbrowser and processes a payment with a user acknowledgement, such as aswipe across a wallet payment button.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a computer system 500 according to oneembodiment, which may be suitable for implementing embodiments ofvarious aspects of this disclosure, including, for example, user device404, server 406 and/or payment provider server 408. In variousimplementations of various embodiments, user device 404 may comprise apersonal computing device, such as a personal computer, laptop, PDA,cellular phone or other personal computing or communications devices.Server 406 and/or payment provider server 408 may comprise a networkcomputing device, such as one or more servers, computer or processorcombined to provide the payment services. Thus, it should be appreciatedthat user device 404, server 406, and/or payment provider server 408 maybe implemented as computer system 500 in a manner as follows.

In one embodiment, computer system 500 may include a bus 502 or othercommunication mechanism for communicating information, whichinterconnects subsystems and components, such as a processing component504 (e.g., processor, micro-controller, digital signal processor (DSP),etc.), a system memory component 506 (e.g., RAM), a static storagecomponent 508 (e.g., ROM), a disk drive component 510 (e.g., magnetic oroptical), a network interface component 512 (e.g., modem or Ethernetcard), a display component 514 (e.g., CRT, touch-screen, or LCD), aninput component 516 (e.g., keyboard or keypad), and/or a cursor controlcomponent 518 (e.g., mouse or trackball). In one embodiment, disk drivecomponent 510 may comprise a database having one or more disk drivecomponents.

Computer system 500 may perform specific operations by processor 504executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions contained insystem memory component 506, according to steps described above withrespect to FIGS. 1 and 2. Such instructions may be read into systemmemory component 506 from another computer readable medium, such asstatic storage component 508 or disk drive component 510. The variousstorage or memory components may be used to store the user's definedmotion or pattern. In other embodiments, hard-wired circuitry may beused in place of or in combination with software instructions toimplement the invention.

Logic may be encoded in a computer readable medium, which may refer toany medium that participates in providing instructions to processor 504for execution. Such a medium may take many forms, including but notlimited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media.In various implementations, non-volatile media includes optical ormagnetic disks, such as disk drive component 510, volatile mediaincludes dynamic memory, such as system memory component 506, andtransmission media includes coaxial cables, copper wire, and fiberoptics, including wires that comprise bus 502. In one example,transmission media may take the form of acoustic or light waves, such asthose generated during radio wave and infrared data communications.

Some common forms of computer readable media includes, for example,floppy disk, flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magneticmedium, CD-ROM, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, anyother physical medium with patterns of holes, RAM, PROM, EPROM,FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, carrier wave, or anyother medium from which a computer is adapted to read.

In various example embodiments, execution of instruction sequences forpracticing embodiments of the invention may be performed by computersystem 500. In various other embodiments, a plurality of computersystems 500 coupled by communication link 520 (e.g., network 110 of FIG.1, LAN, WLAN, PTSN, or various other wired or wireless networks) mayperform instruction sequences to practice the invention in coordinationwith one another.

Computer system 500 may transmit and receive messages, data, informationand instructions, including one or more programs (i.e., applicationcode) through communication link 520 and communication interface 512.Received program code may be executed by processor 504 as receivedand/or stored in disk drive component 510 or some other non-volatilestorage component for execution.

Where applicable, various embodiments provided by the present disclosuremay be implemented using hardware, software, or combinations of hardwareand software. Also, where applicable, the various hardware componentsand/or software components set forth herein may be combined intocomposite components comprising software, hardware, and/or both withoutdeparting from the spirit of the present disclosure. Where applicable,the various hardware components and/or software components set forthherein may be separated into sub-components comprising software,hardware, or both without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure. In addition, where applicable, it is contemplated thatsoftware components may be implemented as hardware components andvice-versa.

Software, in accordance with the present disclosure, such as programcode and/or data, may be stored on one or more computer readablemediums. It is also contemplated that software identified herein may beimplemented using one or more general purpose or specific purposecomputers and/or computer systems, networked and/or otherwise. Whereapplicable, the ordering of various steps described herein may bechanged, combined into composite steps, and/or separated into sub-stepsto provide features described herein.

FIGS. 6A-6D are exemplary partial screen shots showing various imagespresented to the user a no-authentication payment, according to oneembodiment of the invention. FIG. 6A shows a tool bar having a wallet600, where wallet 600 appears when the specific web browser associatedwith the wallet account is opened. Note that other representations ofthe wallet may be suitable as well. FIG. 6B shows a screen that isdisplayed when the user selects the wallet from a “Tools” menu or from adrop-down screen associated with wallet 600. The screen provides detailsof the wallet, a list of purchases or potential purchases, and a buttonto add funds to the wallet. FIGS. 6C and 6D show wallet payment buttonsfor improved content viewing. FIG. 6C shows an example of making a smallpayment, in this case 2¢, so that the user can view content without adsfor a specified period of time, in this case two hours. The ads may be“removed” by various methods, including reducing the font size so smallthat they are invisible to the reader and essentially removed ordeleted, although the content is still there. FIG. 6D shows an exampleof making a small payment, in this case 5¢, so that the user can viewthe entire article without having to subscribe to the site or service.

FIGS. 7A-7C show one example of utilizing a no-authentication payment topay for a service according to one embodiment. FIG. 7A shows a partialscreen shot when a user with a wallet account navigates to a desired webpage through a web browser. The desired web page is from The Wall StreetJournal and displays an article from The Wall Street Journal. Becausethe user has a wallet account associated with the particular web browseror user device, a wallet button 702 appears on the screen. Also on thescreen is an advertisement 704 that occupies a significant portion ofthe screen. For 5¢, the user can view the article or content without anyads. This may be valuable to the user for a number of reasons, includinga more enjoyable reading experience, less distractions with ads, andmore content on screen. The latter reason may be especially valuablewith small screens, such as portable devices like smart phones.

FIG. 7B shows one example for making a payment to remove ads. If theuser decides to make the payment, the user moves a mouse, the user'sfinger, or other means over wallet button 702 in a defined motion. Inthis example, the user first makes a swiping up motion 706 from belowwallet button 702 to above wallet button 702. The user then makes aswiping down motion 708 to the left of the first swipe, from abovewallet button 702 to below wallet button 702. If the motions match whatis expected from the user/device, such as determined by the paymentprovider, the desired amount (e.g., 5¢) is deducted from the user'swallet account with the payment provider and credited to the web browseror content provider.

FIG. 7C shows an “ad-free” page, showing just the content of the articleafter the user makes the payment. The user thus sees much more contenton the page, and the entire article may be read with less scrollingthrough a page. This is possible without the user having to separatelyauthenticate a payment, which can be inconvenient and time-consuming,and without the user having to “click” (since swipes are used).“Clicking” may be undesirable due to the noise it makes, which can bringattention to the user in quiet environments or other circumstances wherethe user does not want the “click” to be heard.

The foregoing disclosure is not intended to limit the present inventionto the precise forms or particular fields of use disclosed. It iscontemplated that various alternate embodiments and/or modifications tothe present invention, whether explicitly described or implied herein,are possible in light of the disclosure.

Having thus described embodiments of the invention, persons of ordinaryskill in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form anddetail without departing from the scope of the invention. Thus, theinvention is limited only by the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for on-line payment, comprising: anon-transitory memory for storing user account information, wherein theinformation comprises device information for a plurality of devices fora user and a unique account associated with each of the plurality ofuser devices; one or more processors in communication with the memoryand configured for: receiving a request for a payment from a userthrough a device via a web browser, wherein the request is received inresponse to a swiping motion performed by the user on a display of thedevice, wherein the swiping motion is a user-defined motion; receivinginformation about the device, wherein the information comprises ofcookies associated with the web browser; determining an account existsassociated with the device or the web browser based on the informationabout the device; causing account information uniquely associated withthe device or web browser to be displayed on the device, wherein theaccount information comprises a balance remaining in the account; andprocessing the payment from the balance for viewing or downloadingon-line page content on the device without authenticating the user. 2.The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors furthercreates the account for the user, wherein the account is associated witha specific device or web browser.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein theaccount is further associated with hardware and/or softwarecharacteristics of the device.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein thedetermining comprises comparing information of the account withinformation about the device or web browser.
 5. The system of claim 1,wherein the swiping motion is continuous on the display of the device.6. The system of claim 1, wherein the content is a full-access article.7. The system of claim 1, wherein the content is shown without visibleadvertisements on the on-line page.
 8. A non-transitory machine-readablemedium comprising a plurality of machine-readable instructions whichwhen executed by one or more processors of a server are adapted to causethe server to perform a method comprising: receiving a request from auser for a payment through a device via a web browser, wherein therequest is received in response to a swiping motion performed by theuser on a display of the device, wherein the swiping motion is auser-defined motion; receiving information about the device, wherein theinformation comprises of cookies associated with the web browser;determining an account exists associated with the device or the webbrowser based on the information about the device; causing accountinformation uniquely associated with the device or web browser to bedisplayed on the device, wherein the account information comprises abalance remaining in the account; and processing the payment from thebalance without authenticating the user for viewing or downloadingon-line page content on the device.
 9. The non-transitorymachine-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the determining comprisescomparing information of the account with information about the deviceor web browser.
 10. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim8, wherein the payment is for viewing a full-access article or contentshown without visible advertisements on an on-line page.
 11. A systemfor on-line payment, comprising: a non-transitory memory for storinguser account information, wherein the information comprises deviceinformation for a plurality of devices for a user and a unique accountassociated with each of the plurality of user devices; one or moreprocessors in communication with the memory and configured for: defininga swiping motion for a user to perform across a payment button, across adevice screen, or with the device to make a request for payment;receiving the request for a payment from a user through the device via aweb browser; receiving information about the device, wherein theinformation comprises of cookies associated with the web browser;determining an account exists associated with the device or the webbrowser based on the information about the device; causing accountinformation uniquely associated with the device or web browser to bedisplayed on the device, wherein the account information comprises abalance remaining in the account; and processing the payment from thebalance for viewing or downloading on-line page content on the devicewithout authenticating the user.
 12. The system of claim 1, wherein theone or more processors further funds the account from a user fundingsource prior to the processing.
 13. A non-transitory machine-readablemedium comprising a plurality of machine-readable instructions whichwhen executed by one or more processors of a server are adapted to causethe server to perform a method comprising: defining a swiping motion fora user to perform across a payment button, across a device screen, orwith the device to make a request for payment; receiving the request fora payment from a user through the device via a web browser; receivinginformation about the device, wherein the information comprises ofcookies associated with the web browser; determining an account existsassociated with the device or the web browser based on the informationabout the device; causing account information uniquely associated withthe device or web browser to be displayed on the device, wherein theaccount information comprises a balance remaining in the account; andprocessing the payment from the balance for viewing or downloadingon-line page content on the device without authenticating the user.